CONSTITUENTS travelled from all over Torridge and West Devon, including Holsworthy and St Giles on the Heath, for a meeting in the Houses of Parliament recently to discuss climate change.

MP for Torridge and West Devon, Geoffrey Cox, invited constituents to take part in the #TheTimeIsNow lobby to raise awareness about climate change on Wednesday, June 26. They are pictured below.

Parliament has declared an environment and climate emergency, and earlier in the week the House of Commons approved the government’s target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Following the discussion, Mr Cox said: “I was delighted to welcome constituents to Parliament and I was particularly keen to understand from them the full nature of their concerns.

“I am proud of the Government’s record in this field. These include: Phasing out coal power, leading to two full weeks without burning any coal — the longest time since the Industrial Revolution; Supporting renewable technologies, securing the future of clean energy in the UK; Creating almost 400,000 of low carbon jobs, growing our economy while reducing emissions; Reducing greenhouse gases by a quarter since coming to office in 2010; Increasing renewable electricity generation six-fold under the Conservatives; Reducing emissions faster than any other G20 country.

“However, I agree that there is a need to drive forward changes with even greater urgency, and I hope that the UK will be hosting the 2020 UN climate change summit. I congratulate all my constituents who have taken the trouble to come to London today or who have written to me about this crucial issue.”